Adjustable hospital table



Feb. 26, 1952 N. Q BERG ET AL 2,587,094

ADJUSTABLE HOSPITAL TABLE Filed Jan. 26, 1948 JNVENToRs ABRAHAM M.-BUDNICK NELS 0. BERG ATTORNEY to and from operating rooms.

Patented Feb. 26, 1952 ADJUSTABLE HOSPITAL TABLE Nels O. Berg andAbraham M. Budnick, Seattle, Wash.

Application January 26,1948, Serial No. l4,416

' 2 claims. (c1. 254-9) rI-his invention relates to adjustable tablesand* .lines from place to place.

In the practice of caring for patients in hospitals, diculties vhavebeen found in moving patients to and from carts for moving them tooperating rooms, and also in moving the carts Diiculties have also beenfound in attempts to change elevations of table tops particularly byyoung nurses of limited strength, and it is important to provide cartswhich will travel in straight lines normally when pushed manually, andto provide tops or platforms which may be easily raised or and loweredto conform with elevations of operating tables, and beds.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a frame mountedon adjustable wheels for directing lines of travel for the frame, overwhich may be mounted a table top or platform to be easily raised or andlowered to conform with elevations of beds and operating tables; thesides of the platforms to be extended laterally beyond the supportingmeans, to facilitate the edges of the platform to be extended over thebeds, to facilitate the movements of patients to and from the platforms.Y

With these and other objects to be hereinafter stated, we haveillustratively exemplified our invention by the accompanying drawings,of which: Figure ll shows a front vertical elevation of the table andparts assembled, with portions broken away. Figure 2 shows a verticalcross section view of the device ltaken on line 2-2 of Fig. l, with oneside of the top broken away. Figure 3 represents in detail a verticalcross section view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l, showing the table top,with guide shanks dependent therefrom in slidable relation over alongitudinal rail. Figure 4 represents a fragmentary View of the topplan of one end of the table and parts taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l, andFigure 5 represents an enlarged detail view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4,showing one of the feet for the table and special construction of acaster assembly for conveying the device along straight lines of travel.

Like numerals on the different figures, represent like parts; Theplatform or table top is represented by the numeral 'I, which isreinforced laterally by cross cleats and end ears I'. Adjacent to theordinary floor, not shown, are

cross bars or feet Y8, disposed in spaced relation beneath the ends ofthe table, and extending laterally the full width of the table top tosupport the top laterally and prevent the same from tipp-ing downwardwhen any load may be deposited upon the edges of the table. Legs 9 and 9are extended upward vfrom near the middle of the feet, one pair spacedapart on each foot member 8, and spanned between the tops thereof is alongitudinal rail Ill to which they are affixed by bolts ID. Centrallythe rail carries guard members II, attached by bolts II. Under theseguards are slidably disposed vertical shanks I2 and I2 which extend -upto the `bottom of the table and are vthereto aflixed Vby angular bendsI3 and bolts 'I3'. These shanks rtendrto prevent the tabletop fromswaying laterally when loaded, but do not prevent the movement `of thetable top upward or downward.

The shifting of the height of the Vtable top vis accomplished vby lazytongs, or a plurality of levers pivotally connected together and to therail beneath and the table topabove, and simultaneously support .thetable top `on any desired elevation. The construction is moreparticularly described as follows for one end of the table top, andsimilar construction is provided .for operating and supporting .theopposite `end of the .table top.

Front sets of levers I4, I5, I6 vand I'I, and rear sets of similarlevers I4', I5', I6 .and I'I are pivotally connected below to the `railI0 by `bolts or pivots I8 and I8 respectively, and the .upper ends ofthe sets of levers are connected to lugs 20 depending from the crosscleats by pivot bolts 2|. The lugs are attached to the cleats by boltsI5. The lower ends of the levers Ill and I5 and the top ends of thelower levers I6 and I1 are respectively connected together by pivotbolts 22. The latter bolts are extended laterally and are retained inpredetermined spaced relation by blocks 23 and 24. Like connections arearranged for the rear set of levers, which are similarly connected toopposite sides of the blocks. These blocks are of like width as the railbeneath and prevent the levers from binding frictionally against thesides of the rail, and also provide free movement of the ends of thelevers against each other. The blocks are tubular or boredlongitudinally and carry internal threads indicated as 24 where brokenaway, and the threads vary in the opposite blocks, to right and lefthanded threads, and are meshed over similar outside threads 26 and 21 onrods 25 and 25'. Cranks 28 and l29 on the outer ends of the rods,provide' means for manually turning the rods in suitable directionscausing the sets of levers and respective pairs of blocks to be drawnnearer to each other for elevating the table top, and for drawing theblocks further apart at any1 time for lowering the table top. Thecompound assembly of the levers enables an operator to adjust the tabletop by the exercise of relatively little effort. In order to thread theblocks on the right and left handed screws, the use of two rods isrequired, but these are then attached at their abutting ends by sleeve30, and set screws 3|, so that by turning of either crank at respectiveends of the table, the levers are all simultaneously shifted to desiredpositions for raising the table tcp, or lowering the same.

In order to prevent ordinary zigzag travel of the table and cart whichis found in the use of free turning casters in general construction ofarticles of furniture, we have provided adjustable means for normallylocking the wheels in predetermined position to assure normal straighttravel, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Here the wheels 33 are rotatablydisposed on the usual pintles 34 through forks 35. The latter areattached at their top to thrust washers or discs 36 rotatably disposedbeneath the outer ends of the respective feet 8. Spindles 31 areprojected through the respective feet and steadied by caps 38. In theupper face of the washer is a single recess 39 of rounded or convexform, for a seat into which a ball 40 may be seated. The ball is presseddown by a spiral spring 4l in a socket 42, attached to the foot. As therecesses and balls meet, the wheels will be thereby retained in normalpositions for moving the cart in straight lines. The strength or tensionof the springs however is only suilicient `to prevent the castersnormally from shifting their desired positions for straight travel,

but may be readily displaced by the operator without stooping, bypressure against either side of the table to force the table top indesired lateral direction in order to carry the edge of the table over abed or operating table. The wheels being disposed on the outer ends ofthe feet 8 prevent the table top from tipping, and the legs beingarranged with the sets of the levers centrally along the table, permitthe feet to be pushed under the bed to support the edge of the tablewhen extended far over the sides of the beds, for loading or unloadingpatients thereon, without lifting them.

Having described our invention, we claim for Letters Patent:

1. A device of the character described, comprising, a table top, a pairof bars horizontally disposed in spaced relation from each other forsupporting the table top, ground wheels adjustably disposed beneath theouter ends of the bars for carrying the table normally in straight linesof travel, legs extended vertically from the centers of the bars, a railmounted between the two sets of legs adjacent the tops thereof for asupport beneath the center line of said table top, Shanks attached toand depending from adjacent the center of the table and slidablydisposed on opposite sides of the rail to guide and prevent the tablefrom swaying laterally when a load is placed on one edge thereof, aplurality of pairs of levers disposed between the bottom of the tableand the rail in spaced relation beneath the table, the upper ends ofsaid pairs of levers being pivotally connected to the table, and thelower ends of said pairs of levers being pivotally connected to sides ofthe rail, the lower ends of the top pairs of levers and the upper endsof the lower pairs of levers being connected together respectively bypivots spaced apart longitudinally, the last described pivots beingattached to blocks adapted to be moved to and fro longitudinally, athreaded rod meshed with right and left handed threads respectivelythrough the pairs of blocks, said threaded rod being provided withcranks on the outer ends thereof for manual operation for moving theblocks and for collapsing and expending the sets of leversfor raisingand lowering the table top to conform with hospital beds, and operatingtables.

2. A cart for use with patients in hospitals, including, a pair ofrelatively long bars horizontally disposed and in spaced relation for abase frame to prevent the cart from tipping, legs and spaced over theshanks for retaining the same a fiat sided rail longitudinally disposedbetween the tops of the legs and attached thereto for a support formeans for upholding a table, operative extensible means for elevatingand maintaining the table at various elevations above the rail, a pairof shanks aixed to the bottom of the table and extended downward inparallel and spaced relation over opposite sides of the rail, guardsattached to the opposite sides of the rail and spaced over the shank forretaining the same in slidable relation against the iiat sides of therail, for preventing the table from tipping when loaded at allelevations thereof.

NELS O. BERG. ABRAHAM M. BUDNICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 845,464 Hotaling Feb. 26, 19071,173,283 Leethem Feb. 29, 1916 1,981,271 Koenigkramer et al. Nov. 20,1934 2,127,309 Rickard Aug. 16, 1938 2,422,892 Forbes et al June 24,1947 2,505,852 Budnick et al May 2, 1950

